This invention relates to training apparatuses for horses and, more particularly, to tail set accessories including crupper padding and tail bags.
In showing American Saddlebred, Morgan, and Tennessee Walking horse breeds, it is desirable to properly present the horse""s tail. The tail, which is allowed to grow very long, should be both properly groomed and held in the proper position, which is substantially erect above the horses rump. To achieve proper positioning, these horses commonly wear tail sets to properly position the horse""s tail and train the horse to hold its tail in that position. The key component of the tail set is the crupper. The crupper rests against the horse""s rump just below the tail, and engages the tail to hold it in place. The other components of the tail set (back band, belly band, breast strap, etc.) generally operate to hold the crupper in place. To properly train the horse to hold the tail in the correct position, the tail set is worn at all times except in practice and in competition.
While some horses accept the tail set as a fact of life, others are less cooperative, and even the accepting horses object to the tail set when their rump or tail has been rubbed raw by the crupper. In attempts to placate the less cooperative horses and keep the horses"" tails and rumps healthy, trainers have conceived of devices to guard the tail from contact with surrounding structure, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,197 to Nichols, and have tried to pad the crupper by lining it with cotton sheets, towels, and other materials. However, these materials have proven ineffective to satisfactorily pad the crupper and in some cases, inhibit the function of the crupper.
Because the horse""s tall hair is typically long enough to reach the ground, the horse can step on the tail and pull out the long beautiful hair. Further, because of the proximity of the tail to the anus and urethra, proper grooming can clearly be a challenge. In attempts to keep the tail off the ground and from being soiled by feces and urine, tail bags are used to hold and substantially enclose the tails. While the current tail bags are generally effective to keep the tail off the ground, they are only partially effective at preventing urine and feces from soiling the tail. Because of how current tail bags open and how they are secured, feces and urine still make contact with the tail and occasionally urine and/or feces will be deposited directly in the bag.
Thus, it is desirable to increase the effectiveness of padding used on cruppers to enhance the presentation of horses"" tails. Such an increase in effectiveness of the crupper padding also makes the horse more accepting of the tail set, so that the horse does not try and rub the crupper against surrounding structure thereby enhancing the operation of the crupper. It is further desirable to use a tail bag which prevents feces and urine from contacting the tail and being deposited in the tail bag to enhance presentation of the horse""s tail and reduce the labor required to properly groom the horse""s tail.
There is, therefore, provided in the practice of the invention a novel crupper pad for padding a horse""s tail held in a tail crupper of a tail set. The crupper pad includes a flexible padding material with a large width base section and a medium width tail padding section. The base section pads the horse""s rump, and the tail section pads the horse""s tail.
In a preferred embodiment, the crupper pad also includes a crupper foot section having a small width for positioning between the feet of the crupper. Preferably, the tail section tapers in width, and the base and crupper foot sections include opposite convex and concave curves, respectively. An outer sheath preferably encloses the padding material and has a wear resistant material on one side and a smooth skin engaging material on the other side. The crupper pad is secured with an attachment strap extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the crupper pad has tail securement straps which wrap around the horse""s tail to hold it in the crupper.
There is further provided in the practice of the invention a novel crupper pad and tail positioning assembly for holding and padding a horse""s tail in a tail crupper of a tail set. The set includes a flexible crupper pad interposed between the horse""s tail and the crupper and a flexible top tail pad placed over the top of the horse""s tail. The crupper pad has a plurality of crupper pad tail securement straps, and the tail pad has a plurality of tail pad securement straps. The securement straps operate to comfortably hold the horse""s tail in the crupper.
In a preferred embodiment, the crupper pad tail straps comprise top and bottom pairs of straps which extend around the crupper, horse""s tail, and top tail pad to hold the horse""s tail in the crupper. The top tail pad securement straps include a base pair of straps which tie to the tail set at or near top rings of the crupper and three pairs of tail straps which connect to the tail set at or near bottom rings of the crupper. Preferably, a spacer pad having a circular base portion and an elongated tail portion is positioned between the crupper and the crupper pad. The top tail pad is preferably enclosed in an outer sheath having a wear resistant material on the top side and a skin engaging satin material on the tail side.
There is still further provided in the practice of the invention a novel tail bag inhibiting contaminants from soiling a horse""s tail. The tail bag includes a flexible sheet material defining an internal cavity for receiving a horses tail through an opening in the bag. An attachment mechanism is provided which connects the sheet material to the tail set above the horse""s anus.
In a preferred embodiment, the tail bag opening faces away from the horse, and the bottom of the bag has a second attachment mechanism for attaching the bottom of the bag adjacent top rings of the crupper. The first attachment mechanism attaches adjacent bottom rings of the crupper. Preferably, corners of the tail bag having corner loops are inserted through the bottom crupper rings and receive the attachment strap of the crupper pad therethrough.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved crupper pad for padding a horse""s tail in the crupper of a tail set.
It is another object of the present invention to provide and improved crupper pad and tail positioning assembly for holding and padding a horse""s tail in the crupper of a tail set.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved tail bag for inhibiting contaminants from soiling a horse""s tail.